Dear Cobirders,
I was able to walk the trails around Twin Lakes twice today (5/8).
First, in the morning with Joyce Takamine and Maggie Boswell, the
typical warblers were present, Yellow Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler,
Yellow-rumped Warblers and Common Yellowthroat. We were unable to
relocate the Worm-eating Warbler from yesterday. Just as we were
about to leave, I spotted a Phoebe along the canal just south of the
westernmost Twin Lake. As I stuttered to tell Joyce and Maggie, they
turned just in time to see it fly down into thick bushes and never
reappear. Part of my inability to speak was due to the appearance of
the bird. My first impression was that the bird was a Black Phoebe
since the upperparts and back of the bird were jet black. However,
the chin was white and the belly was stained yellow, like an Eastern
Phoebe. Overall, the bird gave the same impression as the Larimer
County hybrid Black x Eastern Phoebe from a few years back.
Later in the day I was able to walk the same route again. This time
it was quite a bit warmer and there were fewer active birds. One
notable difference was the appearance of many Blue-gray Gnatcatchers
and Green-tailed Towhees just since the morning. I made my way back
along the eastern end of the Twin Lakes trail, past the Worm-eating
Warbler location. I crossed Twin Lakes Rd. and walked along a small,
signed nature trail. Almost immediately, I heard a rustle in the
brush, looked up, and saw a squirrel. I was about to continue walking
when I saw movement in the same bush --- a quick peek through the
binocular revealed the culprit to be yet another Green-tailed Towhee
--- who was sitting next to a bright yellow, olive-backed tail fanning
Warbler. At first, I thought Prothonotary, since it was on my mind
from Belmar yesterday. The bird moved into some better light and a
quick phone conference with Nathan Pieplow and we determined that the
bird was a female Hooded Warbler. This individual was notable for the
complete lack of black, instead, her hood was perfectly outlined in
olive. Considering the turn-over rate, I can't imagine this bird will
be here tomorrow, but given that Twin Lakes has held a Worm-eating
Warbler and a Hooded Warbler on consecutive days, tomorrow could yield
something even better.
Cheers,
Walter Szeliga
Boulder, CO
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